American company procured thirteen Interbody Fusion Patents during 2013Titan Spine, a medical device surface technology company focused on developing innovative spinal interbody fusion implants, announced in January that it has been awarded five new patents from the US Patent and Trademark Office. These patents relate to the unique design of the company’s Endoskeleton® line of interbody devices as well as various aspects of composite devices featuring a combination of metal and polymer materials, such as polyetheretherketone (PEEK). Titan Spine now has over forty patents in their portfolio and currently under review.

“Several of these new patents extend to composite interbody device designs even though they do not align with our philosophy of the superiority of an interbody device constructed entirely of titanium. We made the decision to include them as part of our comprehensive IP approach.”

“The addition of these 13 patents in 2013 exemplifies our continued commitment to protect and broaden our intellectual property in the interbody fusion space,” commented Kevin Gemas, President for Titan Spine. “Several of these new patents extend to composite interbody device designs even though they do not align with our philosophy of the superiority of an interbody device constructed entirely of titanium. We made the decision to include them as part of our comprehensive IP approach.”

Chad Patterson, Director of Product Development and Operations for Titan Spine, added, “All of our current and pending patents will continue to bolster our position among the ever expanding number of companies that are beginning to realise the importance of surface technology. Our goal is to aid in faster patient recovery through advanced surface technology, implant design, and surgical technique methods.”

Titan Spine’s proprietary surface technology has been shown to promote a superior osteogenic environment when compared to smooth titanium or PEEK. This surface technology, which contains unique topographies at the macro, micro, and sub-micron levels, is featured on the company’s line of Endoskeleton® interbody devices for the cervical and lumbar spine. An additional aspect of the Endoskeleton® design that is covered by one of these new patents is the presence of transverse and anterior/posterior windows optimised for strength, visualisation of bone graft integration and loading of bone graft for improved fusion.